


New Colours of Atlas

by Raalm, ToxicExotic



Category: RWBY
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Dialogue Heavy, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Gender Dysphoria, Minor Original Character(s), POV First Person, Slice of Life, Trans Weiss Schnee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raalm/pseuds/Raalm, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicExotic/pseuds/ToxicExotic
Summary: Even though her family was a mess, Weiss considered her life to be pretty perfect. With an amazing friend, top grades, and the SDC as her future, she had everything she needed as she set out to rule the business world. However, even with all that, there was still one thing that scared her.Dating.At nineteen, she had still yet to find anyone she was brave enough to try with, but that was all about to change when, in a city so obsessed with white, she meets some who might just splash some colour on her life.
Relationships: Arslan Altan/Reese Chloris, Ilia Amitola/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 23
Kudos: 36





	1. New Colours of Atlas

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
> 
> Co-authored with ToxicExotic
> 
> Notes are long ;-;

I had never really understood why many people saw me as uptight. Sure I had a tendency to not tolerate when people acted like idiots, and was more than happy to tell any loudmouthed gaggle of students to shut the hell up when they interrupted my studying; but apart from that, I liked to think of myself as pretty relaxed. Certainly more than any other member of my family at least.

Winter, as much as I loved her, was extremely overprotective. I knew it was only because she cared, but it was a little suffocating sometimes. Although, even that still didn't stop me from looking up to her. How could I not? She was strong, beautiful, and driven; only twenty-three and already a prominent figure in the Atlesian military. A constant reminder that I could do anything I wanted so long as I put in the effort.

Whitley on the other hand was kinda of the opposite. While I loved him too, it was hard to deny that he had a cruel streak to him. Though he was always pretty ok with me, the only thing he ever offered Winter were sneers and insults. And towards the staff, he was a little shit. Of all the Schnees, Whitley was definitely the one who revelled in being rich the most, using his name and power to get pretty much everything he wanted.

Unfortunately there wasn't really much to say about my parents. My father has always been distant with unreasonable expectations. Anything unrelated to the family company was irrelevant to him, but should something ever threaten it he would make it a top priority to have it seen too. My mother on the other hand was pretty non existent. Little more than a spectre around the house, rarely went without a glass of wine, but she seemed satisfied with her life. Being the wife to the CEO of the world's largest Dust company certainly had its benefits after all.

All in all though, I considered myself to be the most normal of the family. I'd never shared my brother's penchant for cruelty, never tried to uphold my sister's or father's high standards for everyone, but I'd also never found myself just happy with letting life happen around me.

I liked to study. I liked being top of my classes and excelling so that I would one day take over the family business. Those were the things that came first for me. But I also liked to have fun hanging out with my friends. Well, _friend_ would be more accurate. While I did have more than one, many of them lived in Vale so unless I hopped onto a plane for a few hours, they weren't exactly in reach. Thankfully though, I did have one friend who had moved to Atlas to pursue her modelling career. And she was rolling down the aisle between the tables towards me.

"Hey, Weiss." Reese smiled at me with a wave as she approached on her skateboard, her bright green hair peeking out of her hood to hang down one side of her face and her teal green eyes twinkling in the light as she sat down. "How was class?"

"Boring." I said with a small chuckle as I returned the smile. "But that tends to be the case when I know everything the teachers are talking about."

"Please tell me you didn't correct him this time?"

"Only because he didn't get something wrong this time."

"Typical." The girl reached out and pulled a piece of salad from my plate. "So what time is your doctor's appointment?"

"One o'clock." I replied with a shrug. "My hormones have been stable since my operation, so it's just procedure at this point."

That was something I was extremely grateful for. I still remembered the painful time as a young teen when I first started hormone replacement therapy. It had been a rough year full of frustration that they weren't working fast enough and that I was still stuck in a body that wasn't mine; but they had eventually begun to work. My facial features had softened, my chest began to grow, and I finally started to feel more comfortable with my own body. Those things had only improved after undergoing orchiectomy last year.

As well as making me more comfortable, the removal of the testicles I had been born with meant my hormone dosage had been reduced. That too had taken a huge weight off my shoulders.

"That's good then." The Mistralian gave a wide smile. "My shoot is at three."

I roll my eyes, but not in any mean spirited way. It wasn't the first time Reese had made that attempt.

"I'm not interested in modelling."

"Oh come on." Reese leaned forward a little. "You worked so hard for your body. You don't want to show it off at all?"

"I show it off all the time." I laughed. "Daughter of Jacques Schnee, heiress to the world largest energy company, remember? Cameras follow me everywhere."

"That is totally not the same thing."

"I supposed that is true." I grinned wickedly. "I don't have to make that silly duck face at the paparazzi."

I laugh as I duck the half eaten piece of lettuce. I really did appreciate Reese's efforts, that she was trying to get me out of my shell more and more while also building my confidence. In truth, the girl had played a big part in getting me to where I was. It was nice having someone so supportive as a friend, someone who was always there when she needed her; and I'd needed her many times over the years.

"Shut up." Reese chortled. "But fine. We're still chilling after my shoot though, right?"

"Absolutely. Whitley and my parents are down in Mantle for the weekend, so it will be just us."

"Thank god. Let me guess. Studying, movies, and taking full advantage of the one month of summer that Solitas gets?"

"Spot on."

"Sounds perfect to me." Reese pulled out her Scroll as it rang in her pocket and her smile broke into a grin.

"Arslan?"

Reese's girlfriend. She'd met her in Argus on the way back from their trip to Mistral last summer. The girl had been smitten the moment she saw her, and I was thankful they'd hit it off. She was nice, and treated her well; even if Reese was a little bit of a dolt.

"Mhm." She turned her Scroll around to show a picture of the blonde girl in bed, clearly having just woken up due to how messy her hair was. Although, that particular detail wasn't too out of the normal for her.

"Cute." I joked.

"Jealous?"

"Please, two uptight people together is never a good idea." I teased, causing the girl to giggle.

"You ain't that uptight. We do need to find you a girlfriend though."

I roll my eyes again. It was yet another thing Reese was rather insistent on.

"Just go and call her, will you?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." She winked and stood up from her seat. "Meet me at the studio?" I give a nod. "Shoot might run over, so just come in when you get there."

"Wha…"

My momentary confusion meant that by the time I said a word, it was too late. The Mistralian had already hopped onto her skateboard and cruised away with a smile on her face. It was just like Reese to announce something and leave, usually because she knew that I would turn her down otherwise. So since the girl was already rolling out the door, I simply shook my head and returned my attention to my food while flipping open my class notes to look over. With my appointment not being for another hour, there was still plenty of time to study.

* * *

It was much sooner than I thought that I found myself parking my car in front of the photography studio. Thankfully my test results hadn't taken very long to come back, one of the perks of having private medical care from the top hospital in the city. However, that did mean that I would be spending longer at the studio than intended, which meant more time for Reese to try and drag me in front of the cameras. I didn't mind though. It was always fun to watch Reese work, especially when it was for sports magazines. So stepping out of my car, I locked the door and threw it a fond look.

I'd always like driving. Unlike the rest of my family who preferred to have a driver, or Winter who refused to use anything but military airships, a long drive had always helped to clear my head. So much so that I ordered a car the very second I turned sixteen. I really hadn't thought about how expensive it was at the time, but Reese had been very quick to tell me that 800,000 Lien was a little overboard; especially for driving around a city as small as Atlas. However, I still considered it worthwhile. Just like Reece, the car had been something I had relied on a lot over the years, and being able to drive it myself always gave me a sense of control.

Turning away from it though, I walked toward the building and pushed the door open. Giving a small nod to the security guard, who had seen me enough times to know not stop me, I walked through the door into a hallway. It was lined with photos and posters of past models, their clothing ranging from sportswear to dresses and suits. There were even two of a woman wearing absolutely nothing, instead she was covered by the edge of a bedsheet; though I would use the word _covered_ in the loosest sense possible. As I continued down it towards the double door at the end, through which I could hear music, I recognized a few of the models from around town, and there was even one of Reese.

It wasn't surprising though. As much as I always joked about her simply pouting at the camera, the girl loved what she did. She'd been sporty since the first time I'd met her, but she also had a good eye for fashion. Both of those aspects had been brought over into her work and she was willing to do most jobs she received, but she had become rather well known for the shoots that she did with sports magazines. Reese absolutely loved the popularity too, since the renown made sure that she was a regular pick for shoots that advertised new equipment that she was excited to get her hands on in general.

As such, as I walked through the doors, it wasn't surprising to see Reese surrounded by cameras. Flashes and commands filled the room as the photographers and other members of staff files around doing their jobs. Just as always, a massive smile was on the girl's face and I knew for a fact it was genuine since she was atop something she hadn't shut up about for the past month. The newest kind of board that would be released to the public in a few weeks; however, unlike Reese's usual skateboards, this one was a hoverboard.

Smiling at just how happy I knew my friend was in that moment, I walked over to the nearby tables and pulled a piece of quiche from one of the trays. Thankfully the food was always rather good at the photoshoots.

Just as Reese had said, the session lasted a little longer than was planned. It seemed both the photographer and the company wanted some very specific shots, as well as a small clip that would be used in a television commercial. I had pretty much tuned out by that point since there was only so much entertainment one could get from watching the girl do the same tricks over and over again, especially when I saw them all the time anyway. However, when they began to shoot the video, something happened that caused my attention to return.

At the orders of the company, another model was brought into the shot, and from the moment she stepped up, I was unable to drag by eyes away from her. The girl was mesmerizing. Her skin was almost entirely light blue, and the only places that it wasn't were what seemed to be stark white freckles that littered her entire body. Simply looking at her felt like I was looking at the sky. To add to that effect, her hair was a deep orange and fell down her back like the first streaks of sunset across the sky.

"Alrighty." She said with a smile as the crew, placing a hand on her hip. I couldn't help but follow it to see her toned stomach peaking out beneath a cropped jacket. "What'cha need?"

"Hmm." The photographer stroked his chin thoughtfully for a second, but quickly held his finger up with inspiration. "I like what you have now, but maybe we can go a little earlier in the day? Maybe sunrise?"

"Gotcha."

In the blink of an eye, the girl's skin flickered and changed. Her pleasant blue skin turned a deep yellow that bordered on orange. Her freckles switched from white to murky gold, and her hair became what her skin previously had ,the pleasant blue falling down her back. Even I had to blink at the change. It was like seeing the beginning and end of a day painted onto the body of an attractive girl.

"How's that?"

"Hmm." The photographer hummed again, dropping his camera back around his neck and pulling what looked like a palette swatch from his pocket.

For what felt like minutes, I watched the man press little tickets of colour to her skin. She smiled all the while, seemingly more than happy to change her colours however the man pleased. I'd never seen a faunus with such a trait before. Usually they had ears or tails, or sometimes claws and scales; but this girl was able to control the colour of every part of her body, even to the point where she was changing the colour of each individual freckle.

"Shoul…"

"Ahh!" The small yelp escaped me before I could stop it. In watching the new girl, I'd failed to notice that Reese had sidled up next to me. "Gods! Don't do that."

"Do what?" Reese asked, genuinely confused before taking on a mischievous smirk "Why are you so flustered?"

"I'm n-not." I stutter in return. Unfortunately my eyes once again flicker over to the faunus girl, and when they return to Reese, I see her following my gaze with a knowing grin.

"Oh?"

"Be quiet."

"OH?"

"Shush." I hushed her as her voice raised.

"Took a liking to Ilia, huh?"

Ilia. So that was her name.

"No." I was all too aware of how unconvincing I sounded.

"Mhm. Suuuure. You know I could introduce you? She's pretty cool."

The grin on Reese's face was enough to make me roll my eyes. The girl was forever playing matchmaker, always trying to get me to approach any girl I showed even the slightest bit of interest in. Again, it was something I didn't really mind since I was definitely interested in a relationship, but it was also something I never really took her up on. One of the unfortunate things about growing up wealthy was that it was always tough to tell who liked me for me and who simply liked what dating a Schnee bought them. It was something that always made me nervous to get started with anyone.

"No thanks." I shake my head and take another piece of quiche. "I'm good."

"Suit yourself." Reese shrugged, though she was wearing a grin I had learned ages ago was a bad omen. "So how was the test?"

"Everything's normal." I smile, choosing to ignore whatever my friend was planning. "How is the shoot going? Are you enjoying the hoverboard?"

"Uhhh, do you enjoy studying? Do dogs enjoy belly rubs? Hells yeah I'm enjoying the hoverboard. I was worried the lack of wheels would make it feel less stable and that I'd fall off easier, but it feels perfect."

"If it gets the _Reese Seal of Approval_ then it must be good."

"Mhm mhm." She took a mini hotdog from the table and happily bit into it. "You know… My birthday is next month…"

I gave the girl a sidelong glance and saw her stick out her tongue.

"You mean the nine month anniversary of your parent's mistake?"

"Bitch."

Both of us chuckle as Reese bumps my shoulder. That was one of the many things I loved about the girl. She was able to take pretty much anything in stride, so it was very easy for me to be a lot more open with her remarks. Usually everything was so polite and formal due to the parties my family threw, minding my manners and conducting myself with the grace of a Schnee; but with Reese it was so easy for us to just throw insults at each other and joke around.

"So how much longe…"

"Reese. We're ready for you."

"I guess that answers my question."

"Like fifteen more minutes." Reese stuffed the rest of the hotdog into her mouth and quickly swallowed. "Just enjoy the show." She walked off but turned around to face me with a wink. "Even if it's not me you're looking at."

With how regularly I shook my head at her, I was always surprised that I hadn't developed neck problems. Unfortunately, she wasn't totally wrong though. As I sat down on a nearby chair to watch, my eyes were yet again drawn to Ilia. She looked very much the same as before, maybe with a lighter skin tone than before, except her hair was a much darker shade of blue. She was still beautiful though, enough to maybe make me reconsider Reese's offer to introduce me. However, with so much college work and how much I did to prepare to take over the company, I wasn't really in any position to date.

* * *

Summer had always been a treasured thing in Atlas. Being located on Solitas, the northernmost consistent of Remnant, the land was constantly ravaged by blizzards. In fact, the only reason the city was hospitable at all was the heating system that ran throughout the entire city. It was constantly active, heating the city to the point where, despite the snowstorms, it was rare to actually see much snow inside the city itself since it would all be melted before landing. The same was true for Mantle, the lower part of the city that sat at the bottom on the mountain Atlas as perched on.

That heating system was part of the reason my family were so well regarded throughout the city. Being the world's largest distributor of Dust, a naturally produced crystal that acted as an energy source for pretty much everything in Remnant, my family was responsible for making sure the system operated properly. It was a decision that proved to be rather controversial at the time since my father had never been the most likeable person. However, as much of a control freak as he was, I firmly believed that even he would never shut off the heat.

That didn't mean it wasn't occasionally turned down though for maintenance. Summer was the perfect chance for that, and though there was still a little bit of chill in the air despite the sun, I was used to it. Thankfully, all the pools at Schnee manor were heated independently, and me and Reese regularly made use of them.

"Gods." The girl breathed happily and lazily floated on the surface in a purple and green, acid washed bikini. "When was the last time we had the mansion to ourselves?"

"The staff are still here." I replied, treading water next to her.

"You know what I mean." She gently moved her arms to spin in place. "Feels good not having your brother drooling over me."

"He's fourteen." I laughed. "He drools over pretty much every girl he sees."

"You two are definitely related then."

I smacked some water at her, causing her to flinch and lose her balance. Giggling happily, I watched her flail around jokingly for a few seconds under the water. It was just like her to be dramatic about a little water, but it was fun to watch. It didn't last long though and she quickly resurfaced with a grin on her face.

"You're gonna make me drown one day."

"I could convince people it was an accident." I shrugged.

"Sassy. I love it."

Rolling my eyes at my friend, I turned away from her and slowly swam to the edge, feeling water hit me in the back of my head but refusing to indulge her. Reaching the steps, I pulled myself out of the pool and suppressed a small shiver as I walked to my drink. Taking a small sip, I heard the screen door open and turned to see Klein walking through it with a fresh drink for Reese.

"All well out here, Miss Schnee?" He said in his usual jovial tone. "Do you need me to turn up the heat at all?"

"We're good thank you, Klein." I smiled back at the man. Though he was our butler, the portly man had been with the family since before I was born, and was pretty much family himself.

"Can I ask for something?"

"No."

"You can ask for anything, Miss Chloris." Klein replied happily. He'd always had a soft spot for the skater girl.

"You think you could put on _Shattered_? It starts in four minutes."

A groan escaped me and I turned to see her giving Klein a wide, pleading smile. He returned it and gave the girl a bow before he turned on his heel and made his way back out of the room. Shaking my head at her, I reach down and pick up the study guide.

"We're supposed to be studying. You have a test coming up."

"We wiiiill." The girl said, swimming over to a pair of inflatable chairs and pushing one towards me. "After _Shattered_. I don't get to watch the next episode live, remember?"

"Fine." I sighed. "But I hate this damn show."

Walking over to the mirror as Reese scoffed, I pulled the bands from my wrist and tied my long ponytail that reached to my knees in a few more places so that it wouldn't get caught on the plastic. While I was there, I took the chance to look at my body too. It was clad in a pure white bikini that tied around the neck, and the bottoms had a little skirt that hung a little down my thigh.

One of the good things about being a Schnee was that we'd always had rather lithe bodies due to my father's strong genes. My father, Winter, Whitley; all of us had always looked more on the thin side with narrower shoulders than my mother's side. My mother's side definitely fought back though, most significantly in the eyes and hair, which were always pale blue and stark white respectively. Because of those naturally softer features, and because I started them young, I'd taken rather well to the hormones when they'd kicked in properly.

My body was lean and smooth, my hips were a little wider, and my arms were a little on the thin side; though I still regularly exercised. The thing I was very happy about though were my breasts. They had been a little tender when growing in, but that had gone away after a while. The doctors had also warned me that there was a high possibility that they would grow in to be uneven and that I would possibly have to get surgery to augment them a little, but thankfully they hadn't. In fact, even though they were still barely reaching a B cup, I was very happy with them since they suited my smaller frame.

"Hey gorgeous." I heard Reese say behind me and spun around to smile at her. "Wanna stop ogling yourself and get your fine ass over here? Show's about to start."

Just as she said it, a bright light poured from one of the glass walls of the mansion as the huge television that took up almost the entire wall came on.

"Alright, alright." I breathe, making a show of walking over to the inflatable chair. While I wasn't vain in any way, even I knew my legs were excellent. "Can't believe you are making me spend an hour listening to Doctor Oobleck theorise about how the moon was shattered."

"Please. You liked the last theory the guest had."

"Because it was so outlandishly ludicrous." I guided myself into the chair gently so as to not spill our drinks and pushed away from the ledge towards my friend. "An old god blasting through it because humanity disappointed him. What a load of rubbish."

"That's the beauty of it." Reese laughed and accepted her soda.

"If you say so." I pouted, though it quickly ended as I was poked in the stomach. "Why can't you watch it next week anyway?"

"I already told you before we left. The release party for _BreezLight_?"

I averted my eyes. I knew exactly what I had been doing as we left, and what had made it so that I didn't hear what Reese had been talking about. Obviously Reese had figured it out too, because she chortled and let out a soft crooning noise.

"Ooooo. Someone got it bad."

"Do not."

"Totally do. You're even blushing."

"No I'm not." I turned my head away and took a sip of my drink, but it only made the girl happier.

"That does it." Reese said through her chuckling. "I'm definitely introducing you two at the party."

"Wh-What?" I stutter. "Who says I'm going?"

"You did." She pointed a finger at me and stuck out her tongue. "I asked as we were leaving and you said yes."

"That's not fair. I wasn't paying attention."

"Too bad that isn't how this works."

I scowled at her as she leaned back in her chair, cursing the gods for my unawareness. Knowing Reese, she'd probably realised I wasn't paying attention at the time and took full advantage of it. Unfortunately, even if I hadn't given her my word, I knew I knew I would be dragged along anyway since it wasn't too uncommon for us to bring each other to events and openings.

"Fine." I relented. "But no introductions. I'm too busy to date anyone."

"Still with that excuse." Reese said, teasing tone dropping for a minute and becoming more serious. "Weiss, you're amazing. I know you've still been struggling with getting out and actually dating, but you're smart, fun, interesting, and absolutely gorgeous. And I'm not just saying that as your best friend."

Reese was right, dating had always been a struggle for me. Though I was very happy and comfortable in my body, there was still the worry that someone else might find an imperfection I had overlooked.

"Really?" I ask.

"Really." She said firmly and reached out to rest her hand on mine. "And if someone doesn't see that, then they're a fucking idiot and need to go buy the strongest glasses they can find."

I feel my face break into a grin and give the girl a nod. Just as always, I counted myself lucky to have her.

"Thank you."

"So you'll let me introduce you?"

I look at her and nibble my bottom lip. While I wasn't particularly against being introduced, I was still a little nervous.

"I'll think about it." I reasoned.

"Better than I thought I'd get." She said with a wink and turned back to the television.

Letting out a soft chuckle, I leaned back into my own chair and cast my eyes the same way just as the show was about to start. I may not have liked the show, but I definitely enjoyed hanging out with my friend.

"You also promised to buy me a hov…"

"Don't push it." I laughed.

"Worth a shot." She shrugged with a snort of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Hello everyone. As promised, a new fic for everyone. This story is predominantly my own, much like TWTCIA, but I do bounce ideas off of Toxic and take his thoughts into consideration, so I feel it's only right that I give him some writer's credit :)
> 
> So this is going to be a little different to my other works. While TWTCIA and HIF have big, overarching plots that carry the whole thing, this fic will not have such a thing. It will be much more character focused with a lot of dialogue with a bigger emphasis on interactions and more grounded moments. As everyone knows, I love writing those kinds of things, so I hope it's something you all look forward to. Naturally, that means the story will be a lot shorter too. I don't know how much shorter, but I think 10 chapters will likely be the max and those chapters will be around 3k words... except chapter 2, which is written and around 10k words xD
> 
> Now just a few things about the world. As you can probably tell, I have chosen to go which some canon elements of RWBY such as Dust (thought its more just an energy source here) and Atlas being more more technologically advanced. I have also chosen to implement their rule regarding LGBT people too, that rule being that all elements of that spectrum are widely accepted. However, even with acceptance, there are undoubtedly personal issues people face and I don't intend to shy away from them. I will also say that I am not trans myself, but as with all my fics I try to do my research, especially with sensitive matters such as this. I will try to make it as accurate as possible, but there are obviously things I may not be able to represent accurately.
> 
> As for the characters, I've decided to go with some more unorthodox choices xD Reese was originally Pyrrha, but changed due to how I wanted the character to be. Ruby and Yang were kinda out of the question just due to how much would have to be moved around, and Blake wasn't possible for reasons that I hope will become clear. So we looked outside a little and thought Reese could be a really cool character to work with. Hopefully you all grow to love her too xD
> 
> Anyway, I have rambled here too much. I know this story will probably not get a lot of attention just due to the fact that the only member of Team RWBY with a prominent role is Weiss, but it's more something to explore a new avenue and relax a little, and I hope those of you who do read it enjoy it :)
> 
> As for when the next chapter will be up, unfortunately I have no idea. It is written already, and just needs editing, but I am thinking maybe a monthly upload, but I can't promise anything. Chapters will just kinda come out when they come out, so follow if you want to not miss them.
> 
> Anyway, that's it from me. Please let me know what you thought about it, and I hope you all had a good day :)
> 
> P.S. No other notes will be as long as this one xD


	2. The Launch Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

I twirled as I looked in the mirror, watching the light blue dress as it shimmered around me. It was probably one of my favourite dresses, having been gifted to me by Winter on my seventeenth. While the top portion of the fabric clung tightly to my skin and accentuated my curves, the slit that ran up one of my legs to the thigh allowed the lower portion to flow rather freely. Happy with it, I turned to Reese, who sat on my bed flicking at her Scroll, and cocked an eyebrow.

The girl was also dressed up. Though her green hair still fell down one side of her face, she at least hadn't decided to spike up her fringe like usual, which was always something worth considering a success. Her dress was actually quite nice though, and it had taken some convincing to get her to put away the acid-washed one she'd been intending to wear. For a girl with such good fashion sense, she certainly tried her best to appear to have none at all. But I had finally managed to persuade her into a nice green, fold-over dress that was secured by a belt. The outer fold was lined with lavender flowers that trailed down to her waist and wrist. For all her huffing, even Reese had admitted she looked good when everything was in place.

"Thoughts?"

"Still shocks me that Winter picked that." Reese hummed amusedly as she gave an approving nod. "Never seen her wear anything but dress pants."

"She didn't always." I shrugged and turned back to the mirror. "That was something she picked up in the military."

"Shame. She'd look _good_ in a dress."

"I would rather you weren't having those thoughts about my sis…"

_Knock! Knock!_

The knocking cut off my words and I turned to the door only to see the handle already being pulled down. There was only one person in the house who would dare enter my room without being invited, and sure enough the second it opened my father appeared in his crisp white suit and looked me up and down. His blue eyes were curious, but he was otherwise unreadable. Just like always.

"Plans, Daughter?" He asked dryly and stepped into the room.

"Reese invited me to _BreezLight's_ launch ceremony." I said respectfully, not wanting to annoy my father.

Out the corner of my eyes, I saw Reese sit up straight and begin to pull faces behind the man's back. The two had never really gotten alone. My father had always considered Reese to be more of an annoyance than anything, barely ever acknowledging her existence; while Reese had always just considered him a bad father. It was hard not to agree with her friend. Though I certainly had _some_ good memories with the man, his presence for anything other than work-related issues had been kept to the bare minimum. As such, our relationship was little more than a professional one.

"Oh?" His question was clearly rhetorical. "I hope you haven't forgotten about your meeting with Councilman Slate tomorrow morning?"

"Of course not." I replied with a slight shake of my head, trying not to laugh as Reese rolled her eyes and flapped her lips. "The event ends at ten, so I will be back and ready for the morning."

The man looked at me thoughtfully for a few seconds, his eyes uncertain.

"I was also thinking I could talk to Ugustus Breeze while I'm there." I added, hoping to sweeten the deal. "With such a big launch coming up, I'm sure he will be looking for the best Dust deals going forward."

Thankfully that was enough to clear up the indecision. The uncertainty vanished at the prospect of acquiring another business opportunity, and he gave a small nod. Before he replied though, his eyes flicked to the side to look at Reese. The girl immediately stopped her mocking, but showed no other signs of respect.

"You are aware that I am stood in front of a mirror, Miss Chloris?" He said impassively. If he expected an apology, he would have been disappointed as all Reese did was look back down at her Scroll. "Child." He sighed and turned back to me. "Very well. You may go. And you may tell Mr Breeze that he can contact my office if he is interested in working with us."

His voice lowered and he stepped forward.

"But should you miss your breakfast with Councilman Slate, there will be repercussions. Do you understand?"

I wasted no time in replying.

"Yes, Father."

"Good."

With one last filthy look at Reese, he turned and left the room, leaving us to finish getting ready.

"Gods." Reese groaned as she slipped off the bed and walked over. "You're dad's such a dick."

"Had you not been antagonising him, he would have left sooner." I scowled in return.

"Yeah, yeah." Her reply was dismissive. "So… You still haven't given me an answer about Ilia? She said she's definitely coming tonight."

Looking to my side, I watched Reese try to spike up her fringe again and reached out to tap her hand. In truth, I wasn't sure. A part of me was still nervous that she wouldn't like me. After all, she was a faunus and I was a Schnee. In my father's attempts to cut a few corners, the man had definitely stepped on the rights of faunus a few times and sparked a few controversies. And even though I didn't approve of those things, my name was often dragged through the mud alongside his.

On the other hand though, the knowledge that I could be seeing the beautiful girl from the photoshoot again had kept her constantly at the back of my mind. The way she'd carried herself, easygoing and confident, alongside how she'd used her trait had been mesmerizing. Whenever not studying, I'd found myself tempted to ask Reese a few questions, but never had. No, that would have only resulted in more teasing that I would rather avoid where possible. But I wouldn't have to suffer said teasing if I talked to the girl at the party.

"Maybe." I say noncommittal, earning a tired look from my friend. "Just let me talk to Breeze first, and then I'll decide. Okay?"

"Fiiiine." Reese groaned and fiddled with one of her flowers. "We should head out though. Or we could be fashionably late?"

"Or…" I reach over to my table and pick up my purse. "We could be good guests and be on time."

"Ughhh." The mistralian gave a pout and slumped towards the door. "Such a stickler."

I rolled my eyes and gave myself one last look in the mirror. Seeing that my makeup was perfect and my hair was secured tightly in its usual ponytail, I smiled happily and walked off after my friend; quite unsure what the night would hold.

* * *

The moment I stepped out of my car, cameras began to flash behind me. It being nothing new, I wasted no time in turning around to give them a polite smile and a small wave. I heard questions shouted at me, but ignored them. Though I would always have to answer a few at events that I was invited to personally, just to show the SDC's support for the product, the good thing about the events Reese took me too was that I could avoid the press without consequence.

"So." I asked as Reese joined my side. "Boost or no boost?"

Though I didn't have to answer questions, that didn't mean I didn't occasionally do so. With how much the papers or magazine clambered to get a statement from me, I was always more than happy to push Reese into the spotlight a little by praising her in a few questions.

"Nah." Reese replied and slipped her arm through mine. "I'm good."

"Okay then."

Both of us slowly began towards the venue. We could already hear music blasting out over the area from the one door that stood open at the side of the building. A pair of security guards stood outside, both exceptionally large and intimidating, in front of a large queue. While we would normally have to wait to enter, I was surprised to feel Reese pulled me past the row of people straight towards the guards. When they raised a hand to stop her, she flashed an orange pass and the men stood aside. Just before I was pulled through the door, I glanced back to see the other guests were holding yellow invites.

"Who did you blackmail for that?" I chuckled as we entered a hallway and walked towards a closed door at the end.

"Please." She scoffed. "I'm the biggest model they have for this product, and I kinda hit it off with Ugustus when he came down to one of the shoots. He liked how much I knew about it."

"Well, you've spent more time studying the articles about it than studying for your actual classes."

"You're… not wrong there." Reese laughed.

When we finally reached the door, Reese pulled it open and music flooded through. It wasn't particularly loud, but it was enough that we'd have to raise their voices a little to be heard. Stepping into the room filled with people, I saw it was actually quite spacious. All the decorations seemed to be pure white, but it was exceptionally hard to make out due to the multi-colored lights that filled the room with swirling colours and patterns that would all come together to form the company logo. The only place where the lights didn't seem to reach was a long strip along the wall, which itself was covered in an almost clear curtain. In that strip, numerous projections of skaters were zooming along on the hoverboard that would soo be released.

Though I didn't recognise many of them, Reese stood out to me. Her bright green hair blew in the wind and she was beaming with genuine happiness. Turning to my friend, I saw that she too wore a smile while watching her projected self race along the wall.

"Show off."

I receive a small nudge in return.

"Damn right." Reese laughed. "We should go and find Ugustus."

I gave her a nod and felt myself quickly pulled into the crowd of cheerful people, some of which I recognised from other business dealings the SDC had in the past. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Champagne seemed to be flowing freely as they all exchanged happy conversation about either the product or pretty much anything else. More than a few times they would stop us to ask Reese about how it felt to ride the new board, and the girl was more than happy to indulge them with a little tale before asking where she could find the inventor.

It took roughly ten minutes for us to find an employee by a table of delicious smelling food who was able to point us to where his boss had been seen recently. After giving him a small congratulations on his work, which he accepted with no small amount of fluster, we took off towards the bar. It didn't take us long to get there though, and the man was instantly recognisable compared to the other guests.

Unlike the rest of the guests, who had dressed in fancy suits and nice dresses, Ugustus Breeze had opted for a more casual approach. Though his jeans were clearly very expensive, Adel original's if I wasn't mistaken, what looked to be a t-shirt for a band called _Ok Goodnight_ covered his chest. His bright hair was slicked back into a ponytail and transitioned between blue, green and pink.

"You sure know how to throw a party."

The man turned around at Reese's words. I knew the man was only twenty-seven years old, but even then he looked younger. Upon seeing us though, his bright yellow eyes lit up happily.

"Reese!" He said with a wide smile, his voice booming over the loud music. "My favourite model… Don't tell the others I said that. You look wonderful."

With a small chuckle, Reese leaned forward and traded a kiss on the cheek. "My lips are sealed."

"Good." His soft eyes turned to me. "And Miss Schnee too, beautiful as ever. Such an honor. "

I copied Reese and gave the man a kiss of the cheek, pulling away with a smile. Though I was used to doing it during business deals, it was much easier when I genuinely liked the people I was meeting.

"Please," I laughed. "This is your day. The honor is mine."

"And there is the charm I've heard such dangerous tales of." He said with a knowing look. "But I'll do no business talk tonight. Especially since I've no interest in changing my Dust supplier."

"Are you sure?" I ask, no bothering to hide my intention. "We could offer you a very good deal."

"Quite sure. My current supplier is run by my wife's brother, so no deal is worth my marriage."

"Understood." I say with a polite nod. "But keep us in mind."

It was important in business to know when someone would simply not be talked around, and the confidence in his voice showed that Breeze was clearly one of those people. So I was more than happy to drop the attempts and simply leave him with an opening to explore in the future. To show his gratitude, he gave a small bow of his head.

"So how're you two enjoying the party?" He asked and gestured around the room. "Personally I love the testing area. After five years, it's great for us to see people enjoying the product."

"We actually just got here." Reese grinned and looked over towards the dessert table. "I'm definitely eyeing up a few of those cakes though."

"You just got here? So you haven't had your drink yet?" Both of us shook their heads, and the man tutted and leaned back to the bartender. "Two airwaves please."

I pulled my car keys from my purse and gave them a shake, receiving a thumbs up in return.

"So what exactly are you having us drink." Reese asked.

"Secret recipe. Something I used to drink with some college friends while we worked on the early concepts. Needless to say but they were a mess. The concepts, not my friends… though they weren't much better." Reese giggled and I shot her a look. "But without them, I'd never be where I am... The friends, not the concepts."

"Letting us share in your past then?" I asked kindly and got a nod in return. "A nice touch."

"Thank you." He replied and reached back for the drinks. "Careful though, they're pretty strong."

He handed us both a shot glass that looked like it was supposed to be filled with a pure white liquid, but the lights that filled the area kept changing its colour. What I could make out though was a green substance floating on top in the shape of a skateboard; though I guessed it was supposed to be a hoverboard. Unlike Reese's and Ugustus', my glass had a red circle around the lip to show it was non-alcoholic.

"Sounds perfect." Reese smirked and held the drink out. "To you and _BreezLight_?"

"To my team." The man corrected her with a shake of his head. "The people who helped my dream come true deserve the credit."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." I smiled at him, glad to see he wasn't a glory hog like many other business owners I'd met. "To your team."

"To your team."

"To my team."

The three of us clinked out glasses together and drowned the shot. Though mine was lacking the familiar sting of alcohol, the drink was extremely minty. So much so that I felt it clear my sinuses immediately. Reese and Ugustus on the other hand were wincing and shaking their heads a little. After a few seconds, Reese let out a small cough and tapped her chest.

"Gods. You weren't kidding." She laughed as she coughed. "I'd hate to be partying properly with you."

Again, I gave my friend a knowing look.

"Lithus was a hell of a time." The man howled and placed the three glasses back on the table. "But, as much as I would love to stay in you'se two's company and exchange some stories, I should go and mingle a little more."

"Of course."

"Reese. Dementration is at eight. I can count on you, right?"

"You'll have to pry me away from the board." The girl replied enthusiastically.

"Fantastic." He said with a satisfied smile and leaned in to kiss them both on the cheek. "I will see you around. Enjoy yourselves."

Giving the man a wave as he rushed off, only to be signalled by a nearby crowd, I turned to my friend. Now that I knew what to look for, I was able to see the slightest of blushes on her cheek and shook my head. It was an action that didn't go unnoticed by the girl.

"What?"

"Please. Could you be more obvious?"

Watching Reese's mouth open and close, I scoff and turn back to the bartender and point to the water bottles in the fridge. Even when not driving, drinking had never been something I really enjoyed.

"Alright. He's hot."

"I'm definitely going to tell Arslan you said that."

"Pfft. She already knows."

"Well with how subtle you were I think everyone at this party knows."

Reese let out a bark of laughter and bumped my shoulder. If there was one thing Reese had never been ashamed of, it was who she was attracted too. The girl was exceptionally confident in herself, and very much a free spirit with a penchant for flirting; even with me. She liked who she liked, and that was all she cared about. Fortunately for my sanity though, she was very much in love with Arslan and had never been the type to cheat, so her flirtatious nature was just that.

"What was up with you anyway?" Reese chuckled and pointed to a beer tap. "You never give up on a business opportunity like that. Wanted to rush through it to get to something else, huh?"

"I know a lost cause when I see one." I shrugged, ignoring the final part of that statement and accepted my water. "Pushing would have just driven him away. Besides, it was mainly just something I told my father so he'd let me come. Not much profit to be made from _BreezLight_."

"What? They are going to be on the cutting edge of sports?"

"They're niche." I replied with an apologetic look. "Casual market appeal. Which is great, I'm not knocking it; but that market isn't the biggest compared to where the SDC usually operates. They'd return some profit, but not a lot."

"For someone who zones out when I talk about it, you certainly know a lot about it's market value." Reese scowled at me suspiciously.

I simply shrug in return and take a sip of my water as Reese's beer is handed to her. It was true that I tended to look into things a lot, but that was simply good business practise. While I knew a lot about many of the people in the room, such as how their business was doing and what their estimated income was, it was also likely they knew the same about each other and the SDC. It was simply a fact of business that you always kept your eyes on the competition and watched for opportunities.

It was tiring sometimes, knowing the dirty secrets of companies and having to stay polite while meeting the people who worked at them; but it wasn't like the SDC didn't have any of its own dirty secrets. Though, she would rather they didn't.

"You were excited about it." I smiled. "Wanted to make sure it didn't fail."

"Awww." Her tongue stuck out. "Thanks for ca..."

"Because I wanted to prepare for the pouting if it did."

"Wow."

Reese guffawed and nudged her again.

"So… Now that that's done…"

I let out a long sigh and dropped my head a little.

"You're not going to let it go unless I say yes are you."

"Nuh uh."

I shook my head and felt nerves instantly pulse through me. Was I really going to accept and let Reese set me up? Sure Ilia was cute, but was I really ready for a relationship? I wasn't really sure. But I was also aware that I never would be if I didn't start putting myself out there. So with a deep breath, I give my friend a slight nod and look directly at her.

"Fine." The Mistralian's face broke into a wide grin. "But," I held up a finger before she could say anything. "If things don't work out and things don't click, you drop it. Okay?"

"Absolutely." She said, practically jumping in place. "Not going to be an issue though because she is _perfect_ for you."

"And you know that how?"

"Because I know you." It was my turn to scowl suspiciously at her. "Aaaaand… I _may_ have talked to her." I was about to scold her, but she put her drink down and held up a finger. "I didn't mention you, I promise. But just trust me, you two have a lot in common."

"The biggest mistake I ever made stemmed from trusting you." I retorted, but Reese simply waved it away. "So when does she get here?"

"Hmm." She pulled her Scroll from her bag and checked the time. "She should be here in about an hour. Said she was gonna be a little late."

"'Kay." I said with a lump in my throat, the time limit suddenly making me feel a little nauseous.

With only an hour to prepare, I pulled out my own Scroll and checked my make-up again, rolling my eyes as Reese chuckled beside me.

* * *

It had been fifty minutes since I had agreed to be introduced to Ilia, and in those fifty minutes my nerves had only increased. It felt like there was a buzzing in my stomach, like millions of tiny butterflies trying to escape. It was rather annoying actually. I was a competent business woman, capable of handling my own during meetings and singing in crowded theatres; yet something so simple and normal as talking to a girl felt like the scariest thing in the world.

Reese had of course been trying to distract me from it with activities like dancing and drop the board, a game where you had to use a dart to pop the balloon holding up a hoverboard, but they had only offered a little reprieve. Whenever there was a lull, my mind would fall back to my doubts. The biggest of which was my surname. Would Ilia be one of those faunus who hated me based on my name? Or would she not care about that?

Either way, she would soon find out. Reese had left five minutes ago after receiving a message, and I had chosen to wander over to the nearby dessert table to pick up a tiny vanilla cupcake. I quickly stopped and threw it in the trash can though since the overly sweet frosting was making me feel sicker than I already did. As the treat hit the side of the can, a buzzing was felt in my purse that caused me to start a little and I pulled it out to see a message from Reese.

' _figured youd wndr off so tk ilia 2 the bar._ '

I was exceedingly used to just how bad a typing Reese was so paid it no mind and put my Scroll back into my purse. Looking towards the area the bar was located, I reached up on my toes and tried to see them. Unfortunately being only 5' 3" in heels, five feet without, I was barely even able to see over half the guests. It only caused my nerves to prickle more; so I closed my eyes and took a deep breath while thinking back on a moment where things had turned out far better than I thought they would.

It was a relaxation technique I'd learned in Vale from a friend. Due to her hotheaded nature, she'd used it a lot and I too had found it helpful every now and again. Imagining the first meeting my father had allowed me to lead at the SDC, the small office and business executives glaring at me with doubt and condescension, I remembered how flawlessly I had delivered my pitch. I'd been incredibly nervous, but the pitch had been accepted and my confidence had soared upon leaving that room.

Thankfully, as I opened my eyes, I found my nerves had settled a little. Not completely, and my stomach was still buzzing, but enough for me to walk towards the bar. Albeit rather slowly. However, despite the size of the building, it didn't take long for the large wooden counter to come into view. As two people moved aside, I saw Reese laughing at someone I couldn't see yet. After a step to the side, I finally saw her.

Ilia.

She was coloured differently to the last time I saw her. The previous orange hair was now a shining blonde, her previously blue skin was now a shining bronze and the freckles that covered her body were a pleasant silver. The metallic colours blended nicely, each popping and drawing the eye to different parts of her body while not being too distracting. The dress she wore was equally as nice. A simple black piece that fell to her knees and flared out a little to expose technicolour frills underneath.

My breath caught a little as I saw Ilia laugh at something Reese said, and I felt a small blush creep to my cheeks as I realised I was yet again staring. I shook my head in an attempt to correct my senses, but much to my misfortune, the only thing it did was alert Reese to my presence. Her head turned to face me and a sly grin appeared on her face, not that anyone but me would know it was such.

"Weiss!" The girl called over the music and beckoned me with a hand. "Come here. There's someone I want you to meet."

Trying my best to conceal my nerves, I gave a small smile and stepped forward.

"Weiss," She flashed me a look that was full of amusement. "This is Ilia Amitola. A friend from work."

"H-Hi." I coughed and held out my hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

"You too." Ilia said and shook it, her lips pulled into a dazzling smile that showed her pearly white teeth. "You were at one of our shoots, right?"

_Oh gods_ , I fretted inwardly, worried she might have seen me staring at her. "I was." I reply in my firmest voice.

"My fault." Reese chuckled. "We were supposed to hang out after. She's always a huge ego boost though, can never take her eyes off me."

"Like you need an ego boost?" I scowled at her, though I was at least appreciative that she was trying to cover for why I was staring at them.

"Giv'er any more anymore and she'll never move away from the changing room mirror."

I let out a small chuckle as Reese feigned offence. "Wow. Teaming up on me already. If I'm gonna put up with this I'm gonna need something to eat."

I snapped my head towards her and received a sickly sweet smile in return as the mint-haired girl pushed away from the bar. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she looked over the crowd towards the table. Since she was taller than me, I was unable to see what she was looking at.

"Food table looks pretty busy though." She said in a voice that I knew without a doubt was a lie. "Might be a while. Don't have too much fun without me."

With a wink, Reese brushed past me and muttered a soft " _have fun"_ in my ear. I was very close to pushing her into a nearby waiter, but decided against it. It would hardly be the best first impression. She quickly slipped out of my reach though disappeared from sight. Cursing inwardly, I turned back to the small faunus girl and gave her a nervous smile as I took the place Reese had previously occupied.

Music filled the silence between them as Ilia slowly sipped on her drink, what looked to be a strawberry and pineapple cocktail. Gently tapping my water bottle, unsure what to say, I gave her the occasional smile in hopes that she would find something to say.

"Is she always this subtle?"

I had definitely not expected that.

Looking at the girl, I see a knowing glint in her silver eyes and let out a low breath. The fact that she knew and was still smiling helped my nerves slightly.

"No." I shake my head. "She's been getting better at it lately."

A grin overtook Ilia's face and she took another sip of her drink.

"I'll take your word for it." She chuckled. "So you two're friends?"

Though my nerves were still firing and my stomach fluttered, the ease in which Ilia talked and smiled was a little infectious. I felt it rush through me, pulling my lips into a smile of my own. Though I still couldn't help but look away when I met her eyes.

"Sort of." I say, trying to keep my voice from shaking. Thankfully I had practise talking under pressure. "What do you call someone you love, but also want to strangle?"

"Hmm. Best friend?"

"Begrudgingly, yes."

We shared a chuckle. Taking a sip of my water, I met her silver eyes yet again and managed to hold it for a second before looking away. Feeling I needed to acknowledge the awkwardness, for reasons I couldn't quite figure out but part of me wanted to say it would help ease it, I turned to her with an apologetic smile.

"This is awkward isn't it?" I asked.

"A little." The faunus laughed with a slight shrug. "'Bout as awkward as any blind date you didn't know you'd be going on."

"Blind date?"

The word had of course crossed my mind in the last hour, but I definitely hadn't entertained the notion. Mostly because I was sure Ilia probably wouldn't be interested, but also because the mere idea had made me more nervous at the time. But Ilia seemed perfectly fine with the idea of us being on a date. From the sound of it though, it seemed that she'd already been on a few; but me, this was my first. Well technically. There had been another, but it had been arranged by her father and had ended very quickly once the girl had been extremely rude to the waiter in the restaurant.

"Sorry."

"No!" I respond a little quicker than I meant to and feel a blush creep up my cheeks. "I mean, that's technically what this is. Just…"

Ilia gave a small nod of understanding. "Your first date?"

I give a meek nod. "Pretty much."

"Reese doesn't do things by halves, does she?" Ilia laughed. Despite the nerves, I too let out a small laugh too. It was probably the most accurate observation of Reese there had ever been. "Don't worry, I'm an easy date." She said, either not knowing or not caring about the implications that made me blush a little harder. "How did you two meet anyway?"

"She was a model for a product of ours." I replied, remembering the day I'd met Reese. "There were a couple of kids and my father was overseeing it. Me and Reese kind of just hit it off. Then she moved to Atlas a few years later and she got another job for us that I was overseeing so we reconnected."

"Sounds like a fated meeting if you ask me."

"I'm not sure which god I angered for that kind of fate." I joked in return, earning a small laugh that once again made my confidence soar.

"The gods can be kinda dicks." Ilia nodded.

I definitely knew that. Despite Atlas being a surprisingly spiritual city, I wasn't personally religious myself; though I also wasn't entirely closed off to the idea. But even I had cursed the gods more than a few times while growing up.

"So…" Ilia took a sip of her drink. "What do you do? You're nineteen right so I'm guessing college?"

It didn't surprise me anymore that everyone knew little things about me. My life was practically public knowledge as I was regularly featured in the articles of gossip magazines.

"Yeah. Atlas Academy. Most of my afternoons are spent either doing coursework or doing work things. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same. I go to Atmos University when I'm not modelling."

"Studying fashion?"

"No major at the minute." The girl shrugged. "Thinking maybe sports sciences, but not sure. I'm only in my first year though, so I have time to decide."

"First year? So you're eighteen?"

"Twenty. I took some years out after my parents died."

"Oh…" I paused at that news, not quite sure how to respond. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Ilia shook her head and flashed me a smile. "It was years ago."

"It still sucks to have to go through that."

"Yeah. They weren't perfe…"

"Excuse me, ladies." A woman's voice interrupted them. I turned to see a familiar woman wearing all white with a fake tan looking at me. A man stood next to her. "I believe this bar is for everyone here, not just you."

Growing up in Atlas, I knew a member of high society when I heard it. The snooty voice always betrayed their spoiled upbringing. I'd always hated that my brother had embraced that lifestyle, and just as I would never let him talk to me in such a way, I also wouldn't let someone who was eyeing the scar over my left eye knowingly. A quick sweeping glance up and down the woman told me all I needed to know.

"I'm sorry, Miss Galan." I said with a sweet smile and darted my eyes to the tall man for half a second. "I didn't recognise you without your husband."

The woman's eyes widened, clearly not expecting me to know who she was. Promiscuity was unfortunately rather common among the Atlas elites, but that didn't mean they liked others to know. And they especially didn't like others to talk about it, as it often led to divorce in order to save someone's image. It seemed that the woman was thinking the same thing, and quickly did a double take.

"My apologies, Miss Schnee. I didn't realise it was you."

"Of course not." I replied, keeping my voice friendly before turning to Ilia, who was watching the exchange with a half hidden smirk. "We were just about to walk the room anyway. Tell you husband I said good luck on that acquisition he is chasing."

I glanced toward Ilia to see the girl was smiling, no longer bothering to hide her smirk. Clearly understanding that it was their cue to leave, she pushed herself away from the bar. I followed suit, making sure to catch the woman's eye as I walked past her. We barely made it five steps before Ilia let out a small snort.

"You scared the shit out of her." She said, her voice holding no judgement.

"Sorry." I said despite Ilia's smile. I was really hoping that short interaction hadn't made her think less of me. "Atlas high society is kinda of a mess. Everyone's always…"

"Sniping to be the top dog?" Ilia finished for me. I gave a small nod. "No worries. It's the same at Atmos, but mostly between faunus and humans. Let someone talk down to you once and everyone else'll do it too."

"It's tiring." I admitted and directed us towards the food table.

"I feel that. It can be very annoying, but I'd never let people talk down to me either."

I appreciated the understanding. Not many people understood the inner workings of Atlesian high society and simply assumed everyone was just stuck up and entitled. While that was actually the case for many, for others they were simply being what they needed to be to succeed. Letting someone talk down to you showed weakness, and weakness showed you weren't a valid business partner. If you let someone walk all over you, your offers would reduce greatly, and those that you did get would be extremely weighted towards benefitting someone else. There were others that didn't take part in that atmosphere, but their businesses often saw rather slow growth in comparison to others, when they weren't bought out altogether.

Personally, I wasn't fond of the atmosphere either, and hated being part of it, but as the heir to the most successful company in the world I wasn't allowed to show weakness. Especially when my position was already tough enough as it was. Being so young, pretty much every interaction was a challenge of power. Every meeting I had with a CEO of another company, or even within the SDC, itself was a test to see if they'd be able to walk over me in the future when I took charge. If I even showed so much as a hint that they could, my father would strip me of my title without hesitation and give it to Whitley.

"Just don't tell Reese about it." I said. "She'll be upset she missed it."

Ilia let out a small chuckle. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Good." I smile.

The two of us reached the food table, and, just as I thought, there wasn't a queue to be seen anywhere. There was also no Reese. A quick glance down at my Scroll showed that it was almost eight, so the girl was likely off getting ready for whatever demonstration was about to occur.

"So when you're not at college and work." Ilia asked curiously and picked up a tiny burger. "What d'ya do for fun?"

I felt myself blush a little since the answer was kind of boring. "Driving. Kinda boring to some, but I love just driving around Atlas. I sing sometimes too, but it's mostly just at company events so I guess that counts more as work."

"I'll count it." She shrugged with a smile. "So no clubbing or anything I hear rich people do a lot of?"

I shook my head. "Not unless Reese drags me to one."

"Which I'm guessing happens a lot?"

"More than I'd like." I laugh. "What about you?"

"Sports mostly." Ilia smiled. "Football, baseball, freerunning. Anything to keep me busy."

I could definitely see that. As the girl reached for another small burger, my eyes fell down her body. Though she was wearing flats while I wore heels, I could tell that she would be just shorter than me without either. She was definitely well built though. While still thin, her arms still conveyed a certain strength as the bicep made a small hill even when extended. Her legs were strong and the thighs were a little wider than my own. It took a little effort to pull my eyes away before she returned to look my way.

"Sounds exciting." I replied and reached out for what looked to be some small sandwiches. "I should really be more active too."

"Nah. You're in great shape."

A nervous chuckle escapes me at just how effortless that compliment left Ilia's lips. "Th-Thank you." I stutter.

Ilia just gave me a wide grin. To my surprise her bronze skin deepened a little. I had no idea what it meant, but it was still really pretty to see her skin change like that. Silence fell once again, and it was clear Ilia had seen me staring at her skin slowly turning back it's original shade of bronze. If that really was her original skin tone at all, it was hard to know. I was really tempted to ask what kind of faunus she was since I'd never seen a trait like it, but the question felt rude.

"I'm a chameleon faunus." Ilia answered the unasked question, her voice pulling me out of my reverie. I glance up at her eyes watching me.

"Oh… S-sorry. I shouldn't have been staring."

"It's fine." The girl laughed. "I'm used to it. Not everyday people see someone who can turn whatever colour they want with a single thought."

"A single thought?" I ask curiously.

To answer my question, Ilia's body flickered rapidly between a rainbow of colours. The colours sped along her skin like paint spilled on a canvas, each new colour quickly replaced by another. Even the girl's hair was flashing, some colours stopping halfway as others only ran down one side. Eventually though, she skin returned to the bronze, gold, and silver that it had been before.

"Wow." I breathe, still captivated by what I'd just experienced. "That's really…"

"Cool?" Ilia laughed. "Damn right it is."

"I've never heard of a chameleon faunus before?" I ask, still a little taken aback.

Though I was aware other faunus existed, most faunus usually had traits associated with mammals. Wolves, cats, rabbits, mice, and deer were among the most common. But I knew there were a few out there who had fish attributes, and even some who had wings that functioned. Winged faunus were rather rare themselves, but even rarer were the ones who were actually able to fly.

"There are only a few chameleon families left." Ilia explained. "My family are the last ones left in Atlas. A new one pops up occasionally, but it's not often."

I knew what Ilia was talking about. While two faunus of the same kind would always produce a faunus child of the same ilk, when two faunus of different kinds had a child, it usually had a random outcome. More often than not it was still a mammal trait, but it could occasionally be something completely different.

"And you have a new colour everyday?" Ilia nodded. "Just for fun?"

A slightly sad look came over her face and I realised I may have accidentally asked a bad question. Before I could take it back or apologise though, Ilia gave a small shrug.

"Not really. When I was growing up, my parents managed to get me into Atmos prep. They didn't want me to get bullied for being a faunus though so they said I wasn't allowed to change colour. When we're young though, our bodies change with our emotions, still do as adults but not as much, so I constantly felt like I was suppressing more than my colours."

"Oh." I mumbled. "That's awful."

Ilia nodded. "It was. My birth colours started to feel like a prison and I hated even seeing them. One day it got too much, and I decided I was done hiding. My colours are important to me, and I'm proud to be a faunus, so since then I've made myself whatever colour I want. A new colour everyday, to show who I am."

The sadness was gone from Ilia's voice now, wisped away to be replaced with a proud smile. I could definitely understand how the girl had felt. Hell, I'd felt so many of the same things myself growing up. I myself remembered when I would look at my body and feel like I was trapped in a cage, unable to escape. Thankfully though, those days were behind me for the most part. Of course there were still days where those thoughts would come back to plague me, where things would not look right, but they were much fewer and much further between than they'd ever been.

"I can relate to that." I shared with a soft smile and a nod.

Ilia returned it, but didn't ask. Of course that was public knowledge too, but I was very happy that people knew well enough to never ask me about it. While it I knew it was something that would always be with me personally, it was never fun to have others remind me about it.

We shared a silent moment afterwards, though much of the awkwardness seemed to have dissipated. It was less because we didn't have anything to say, and more because we were simply acknowledging a mutual experience. It was in that moment of silence that I understood what Reese had said earlier about how Ilia was perfect for me. As well as being beautiful and funny, she understood me.

"Ladies…" I hadn't even realised the music had stopped, but the sudden announcement made me jump, and even Ilia gave a little start. "... and gentlemen! If you would clear the floor, please! We have some special guests coming through."

A loud scuffling filled the room as every began to clear out of the way to stand on what appeared to be marked lines. As the floor cleared, I found myself standing so close to Ilia that our shoulders touched. With it being summer, I'd chosen to leave my bolero jacket at home so the skin against mine felt impossibly warm. I could even smell her perfume, the delicate fragrance of rain drifting into my nose and making my head spin.

Once everyone was clear however, the music started up again and a pair of wide double doors at the end of the room opened up. Ten people came zooming through them, the lead being Ugustus Breeze himself. Each of them were on a board that hovered an impressive foot and a half from the ground, but they were all keeping their balance perfectly. Three back, I spotted a head of green hair and saw Reese was smiling wildly. As she zoomed past, I couldn't help but show my support by sticking out my hand. The high five was given as she passed, and a kickflip was performed as she did so.

"She can't help but show off." I grinned at Ilia, who let out a loud laugh and clapped at the riders.

* * *

I was almost certain that the last hour had flown by faster than any hour of my life. I was also certain I'm done more smiling and blushing than ever before too. While starting off kind of awkward, talking had become much easier as time progressed and I quickly found myself interested in everything Ilia was saying. Whether she was revealing her crippling fear of snakes or telling a delightful little story about one of her many modelling contracts. I found myself enraptured with all of them.

I in turn had talked about what it had been like growing up in Atlas. About the numerous galas I had attended and the events I'd performed at. A good ten minutes had been spent discussing a specific Atlas Academy ball that Ilia had apparently also attended with her ex, a girl by the name of Neon who I was vaguely aware of. A laugh was shared about the fact Vega Bleu had accidentally sent an entire bowl of punch spilling across the floor and Professor Zeki's shoes, and Ilia had talked about an argument she'd heard Neon's friend, Flynt, have with his then girlfriend. That story had ended with the girl screaming about his apparent lackluster performance in bed and walking off.

Overall, it had been a really fun time, and I had definitely picked up on Ilia flirting a few times. The occasional grazing of my arm, sly little compliments that were woven effortlessly into conversation. There was even a time where we reached for the same cake and I could have sworn I saw her silver freckles turn pink, though that could have just been the lights. Every time I caught what I was almost certain was her flirting, I would feel the heat rush to my face and find myself unable to respond for a good few seconds. I would always recover though, and conversation would continue as if nothing happened.

"So he just pulled the curtain down?" She scoffed in disbelief as she ate her cake.

"Yeah." I chuckled. "He was ten at the time and annoyed that I was getting all the attention. I was just singing when I heard it all fall behind me."

"What'd he do then?"

"Nothing. Pretty much everyone in the room turned to look at him and he just burst out crying and ran off."

"Please tell me you were a good sister and never let him live that down?"

I let out a small laugh. "I teased him for a year, but I kind of understood where he was coming from eventually. I was the heir to the company so Father gave me the most attention. Winter was the rebel who ran off to the military. So Whitley was always just kind of left to his own devices."

"Damn, that sucks."

Before I could reply, a pair and hands slipped around my waist and a body pressed against my back. Though I seized up for a second, the green hair that fell into my peripheral told me exactly who it was. Pressed so close against me, I could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"What sucks?" Reese asked curiously, her words overly careful like she was trying not to slur them.

I was very aware of my friend's levels of drunkenness, and while she wasn't completely hammered, I knew she was definitely tipsy.

"We're just talking about Whitley."

"You mean Shitley?" I raised my eyebrow a little and heard Reese giggle into my ear. "Please. You know I love him like a brother too."

"You do realise that he wishes you didn't?"

Ilia let out a small chuckle, and Reese detached from my waist, pulling the sliver of uneaten cake out of my hand.

"Gods I'm starving."

"I thought you were getting food earlier?" Ilia asked with a knowing look and a small smirk.

"Line was too long." The girl shrugged unconvincingly, shoving the small piece of cake in her mouth. "So what're you two doing?"

"Just talking." I beamed at Ilia and received a smile in return that brought the butterflied back to my stomach.

However, at that moment, I saw Reese walk out from behind me with a glass in her hand. It was rather large and half-filled with purple liquid. I recognised it instantly as the girl's favourite drink, a fruit tingle cocktail, and let out a small sigh since I knew where that would end up. Especially if she had indeed skipped out on food.

"How much have you had to drink?" I asked her.

"Not much." The girl replied innocently, but a wicked smile pulled at her face.

"Even I don't believe that," Ilia smirked, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Mhm," I hummed and reached out to pull the drink from Reese's hand. She resisted a little, but quickly gave it over after one last mouthful. "I'm assuming, enough that I should be getting us back home."

A sad look fell over Reese's face and she leaned in to me.

"But you weren't supposed to go home with _me_ tonight."

What had obviously been intended as a whisper had been anything but. My eyes widened instantly and my mouth fell open a little as I struggled to find words. Worse than that, Ilia had clearly heard what had been said and looked away, suddenly very focused on her own drink. However, there was definitely a smile on her lips. That was certainly a good sign. I hoped it was at least. After a couple of seconds though, I finally recovered from my shock and turned to my friend.

"I-It is definitely time to go h-home." I stuttered, but seeing Reese about to argue back I found my voice and pointed a finger at her. "No arguments."

She gave a small pout and moved back. Determined to try and act like nothing had been said, I gave the girl an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry." I apologised to Ilia, the words holding more truth than she could have known. "I'd really like to stay but she's…"

"No, no. I get it." The beautiful girl said with a shake of her head. "I had a great time tonight though."

She flashed me a smile that set my stomach aflutter and forced one out of me too.

"Me too." I return. "I'm just glad I didn't bore you to death."

"I was worried about that too." Reese teased.

"Not talking to you."

"Aww."

Feeling a little bad, I reached over the table and picked up a large slice of chocolate mint cake. Reese's green eyes lit up as I handed it to her. As she happily ate it, I turned back to Ilia and gave her a soft smile. I really was too bad I had to say goodbye early, but I wasn't exactly going to let my friend drink herself under the table just to stay and talk to a girl I liked. Besides, it would be so much harder to get her moving if I let her drink any more.

"You were great." Ilia replied to the earlier remark with a grin, her hand reaching out to gently graze along my arm. It was barely anything, but it was still an amazing feeling. "I'm glad I came out tonight."

"Same." I replied before I could stop myself, not that I would have anyway. "But I should really get her home."

The faunus gave me a nod and I took a step back, Reese following me.

"Night." She said with an odd smile. It was almost like she was waiting for something, but I couldn't think what it could be.

Unable to think what it was, I simply returned the gesture. "Goodnight."

After sharing one last look, I turned away from her and linked arms with Reese, leading her out of the building. Just before I exited the doors to the hallway, I looked back and saw the girl standing there with her drink. She looked a lot smaller from a distance, and kind of alone. I really wished I wasn't leaving her. Nonetheless though, I led Reese out of the building and to my car.

Throughout the entire drive, and as we walked up the steps of the manor towards my room, I thought back on the impromptu date. It had been really fun just talking to Ilia, exchanging stupid little stories and learning a little about the girl's life. Sharing my own too. Something about it had felt oddly normal, and even when I was nervous the conversation seemed to flow. She seemed interested in me too, and her delightful laugh was still lingering with me as me and Reese got ready for bed. All that was without mentioning the fact that we had something in common, that she understood me in ways that even Reese couldn't felt amazing.

However, something had also stuck with me through the entire drive. That odd little smile on Ilia's face as we said goodbye. I was still struggling to figure it out since it was so unlike her other smiles. The others had all been happy and radiant, like she was having the amazing time she said she'd had. But that little smile at the end, I could shake the fact that it felt like there was a hint of disappointment there. But disappointment at what?

Sure I was leaving, but we'd had a great time together. And surely there would be ano-

"OH MY GODS!" I sat bolt upright in my bed as it clicked, and quickly began to curse myself for not seeing the obvious.

"What!" Reese said, sitting up beside me. She sobered up a little after the cake, but was still a little misty eyed "You okay?"

I buried my face in my hands.

"I forgot to give her my number."

A moment of silence passed after my mumbled words, but they were finally broken as Reese let out a loud laugh and fell back in the bed. Turning to her, I gave her a sad look.

"It's not funny!" I pout. "What if she thinks I didn't have a good time after all? That I wasn't interested in seeing her again?"

"Were you?"

"Yes!" I replied instantly.

"Then relax." Reese wrapped an arm around me and pulled me backwards into the bed. "I have a shoot with her on Monday. I'll give her your number."

"You will?"

"Yes." Reese sighed, slipping an arm around my waist. "Now go to sleep. I don't want to get banned from your house again for making you miss your meeting."

Making a mental note to remind Reese of her promise in the morning, I give her a small nod. Monday was two days away, two days for Ilia to decide that the date had not actually been that good. _No… Those kinds of thoughts are not helpful,_ I told myself and closed my eyes. Using the memory of Ilia smiling at me and taking her at her words that she really did have a good time, I let that image slowly envelope me as I drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> Hello all. So as I said, long chapter this time :) No other will be anywhere near this long. In fact the next chapter is only 3650 words and I don't intend for any others to go beyond 4000.
> 
> I mostly wanted to focus on the awkwardness of their first meeting, and how Weiss really has no clue what she is doing but it trying her best xD So hopefully you enjoyed it. I've also decided to go a more confident route with Ilia, playing a little more into her pride of being a faunus, so hopefully you liked that too.
> 
> But that is it from me. This story actually got a little more attention than I was expecting, so thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed the first chapter of this exploratory story. It means a lot to me :D


	3. Mischievous Mint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
> 
> Collaborated with ToxicExotic

I'd always loved my hair. I loved how it almost reached my ankles, how smooth it felt, how it shone in the moonlight, even the pure white colour that I had inherited from my mother. Growing up, Winter had always told me I should cut it, that it was getting out of control and would look nice in a bun, but I had never listened. Every time I went to the hairdressers, I simply told them to trim the bottom off so that it could grow longer. However, there was one area where even I had to admit that the sheer amount of hair made it a little cumbersome. And that was while running.

I had tried numerous things over the years. Braid, bun, crown; but none of it had really worked. All of them had either moved around too much or been so heavy it felt like I was dragging around weights. Eventually though, I had simply settled on my usual ponytail, though I had at least folded it in half so that I didn't trip. It was still a little awkward, but nowhere near enough to consider cutting it. Though, definitely enough that I was thankful it was over as I stepped into the dining room and poured myself a glass of water.

The only other people in the room were my brother, Whitely, and Reese, the former eating his breakfast while the latter reclined in her chair and put her feet on the table. Though the sullen boy was giving the grinning girl a look of disgust, Weiss knew all too well that her brother had a huge crush on her best friend. Not that a stranger would be able to tell from their interactions; unless they saw how the boy was stealing the occasional glance at the girl's exposed legs.

"Remind me why you are here again?" He sighed at her. "I was under the assumption you had your own apartment down in Mantle."

Whitley wasn't exactly wrong. Despite having a rather nice apartment of her own, Reese really did spend a majority of her free time at the mansion. Not that I minded at all. Reese was my best friend, and the fact my house felt like a home to the girl was something I was very happy about.

"Better room service." The girl grinned in reply, tilting her head back as a waiter walked over with a plate of scrambled eggs. Accepting the plate, she straightened herself out and looked at me. "And better company."

"What did you do?"

"What?" Reese replied with mock offense. "I can't just visit my best friend in the morning?"

I raised my eyebrow and received a chuckle as the girl shoveled eggs into her mouth. "Alright, fiiine. I may or may not have destroyed my shower last night."

"How?" The reply came from both Whitley and myself.

"Hey!" Reese said with a hurt look. "Don't look at me like that." The hurt look quickly turned into a grin. "Besides, that's a story for me and Arslan."

It was my turn to groan in disgust since the wink told me all I needed to know. Even Whitley turned away with a shake of his head. Of all the things discussed in the Schnee household, which honestly wasn't very much as the family rarely even convened for dinner at the same time, bedroom habits were definitely not one of them. Not even the fact that my mother and father had begun to sleep in separate bedrooms years ago was discussed, though mostly due to the fact the entire family knew their marriage was now only for the sake of appearances.

"I would rather not continue _that_ discussion." I breathed, sitting down and turning to my brother as Reese shoved more eggs into her mouth. "So what are you doing today, Whitley?"

"You may have forgotten in the year since you left, Sister, but Tuesdays are school days."

"There is no need for the attitude." I scowled, not liking when he was in his grumpier moods.

"I fail to see _what_ attitude you are referring to." He replied defiantly. "However, if such a thing did exist, I'm sure you would share in my annoyance after spending a weekend with _them_."

It was hard to argue there. Even I tried my best to spend as little time with our parents as I could. When not in college or at work, where I would work in a different department, I tried my best to stay either in my room to study, or out of the house with Reese.

"One day you're gunna realise how great your sister is." Reese interrupted after swallowing a mouthful of food, knocking his wrist with her foot. "So try not to push her away before then."

"If you say so." Whitley shrugged, continuing to cut into his food and slowly eat it.

"Anyway," I sighed to Reese, not wanting to antagonize the boy any further. "What are you doing today?"

"That…" The girl paused with a forkful of food half way towards her mouth. "... is a very good question. Don't suppose you're free today?"

"I'm at the office until three." I said apologetically as food was brought out and placed in front of me.

"Dammit." She breathed and put the fork in her mouth. "Well I guess just hanging with my bro here til he heads off to school. Then the ramps, I guess"

She flashed Whitley a smile, earning a shake of his head in return. Though the two definitely did bicker and tease each other, Reese was one of the few people Whitley was rarely condescending to. Partly due to his crush; but also because, just like me, Reese was more than willing to put him in his place if he overstepped.

"How fun."

"Aww cheer up, squirt." She chuckled and pushed her plate away. "We'll have a great time. I'll paint your nails, brush your hair..." The boy let out a short sigh and stood up. "Come on, we can discover our gir…" Reese's voice grew louder as the boy walked away. "...LY SIDES TOGETHER."

"You sure know how to scare him away, don't you." I said as the door slammed shut, barely able to contain my smile.

"Please." The green-haired girl grinned. "He knows I _would_ do all of that girly shit _just_ for him."

"I think that's what scared him." I laughed. "Why don't you do any of that for me?"

"I do it plenty, thank you. Have you forgot that I put on that dress for you?"

"That was your own dress."

"Which I have no idea why I bought. Actually, I don't even know if I did buy it. Might have been a gift from a shoot."

"Well it looked good on you." I smiled at her. "You should try it more often."

"Pfft." Reese scoffed. "I'm good with my hoodies and my shorts. Which, might I add, I also make look good."

"If you say so." I said and adjusted my sports bra. "When does Professor Alt return, anyway?"

"Whenever her dad gets better I suppose." Reese shrugged. "Stuck with online classes and assignments until then I suppose. Still can't believe there are only four people in the fashion course."

"Still can't believe you got in after attending your interview in your skating attire."

"What can I say? I had an exceptional portfolio."

"And I'm guessing already being a popular model in the industry didn't hurt." I acknowledged.

"Mhm mhm." Reese dropped her feet to the floor and sat forward with an interested look. "Sooo… speaking of models. Has Ilia called you yet?"

I didn't reply for a second, slowly eating my grapefruit. It had been a few days since the party where I had forgotten to give the beautiful girl my number, but less than twenty-four hours since Reese had fixed that mistake. However, despite it being such short a time, I was already beginning to worry that Ilia might believe I wasn't interested. Surely, if the girl had enjoyed the night and was interested in more, she would have called or texted already. So, already feeling the disappointment start to rise within me, I gave a small shake of my head.

"No."

"What!" The loud yell almost made me jump. "But she practically snatched your number from me."

"Maybe she just wanted to shut you up." I shrugged. "I know I do sometimes."

"Hah hah." Reese replied dryly. "You want her number?" She began to dig into her pocket for her Scroll. "I got it…"

"No." I replied, sticking my hand out onto her elbow to stop her digging. "You already gave her mine. If she doesn't call, then that's her choice."

Even as I said it, I felt a hint of sadness. I knew I was jumping to conclusions, it had only been a day after all, but it had been the first time I had actually made an effort to put myself out there. To have it end in failure, to be turned down and not receive a call would be a little disheartening.

"Then it'll be a dumb choice." Reese scowled, though quickly turned it into a smile. "Fortunately, that ain't gunna happen. Because she is definitely gunna contact you."

"If you say so." I pouted, digging into my grapefruit again.

"Oh shush." Reese groaned as she laid flat against the table and poked the side of my face. "We don't need a return of Worrying Weiss. Trust me, she'll definitely call."

"I hope so." I admitted.

"She will." Reese reaffirmed. "And when she does, I won't have to doooo… this."

Her fingers pushed the side of my lips into a smile and I quickly slapped them away; though the smile remained. I really did hope Ilia called, since the time I'd spent talking with her had been genuinely enjoyable.

"Thanks." I muttered, taking another bite of grapefruit.

"My pleasure." The skater smiled, sitting back up and stretching her arms. "Now, about your breakfast..."

"Oh not this again."

"Grapefruit? Really? That thing tastes horrible. This is worse than your watermelon addiction."

"How so?"

"Grapefruit doesn't have green on it. That is watermelon's only saving grace."

"I still don't understand your fascination with the color green."

"One," Reese held up a finger and I rolled my eyes. "Mint is amazing. Probably the best thing on this planet. Two," Another finger was held up. "Grass smells amazing, that's why I wear grass scented perfume…"

"I just thought you just fell over every mor..."

"Three!" Reese interrupted me. "Vegetables are great. Pea soup, Bok choy and mushrooms from _Garlands_..."

Resse cut herself off with a faraway look on her face. A look I knew all too well. "You want _Garlands_ now, don't you?"

Reese started to nod.

"We're definitely going there tonight."

"If you're paying."

"What? Why me?"

"You want it. And it's your turn to buy dinner."

"Dammit… I forgot that. Oh well, lucky for me I got paid recently."

"Yeah, well you should use some of that money to fix your shower." I reply sassily, knowing all too well that it really wouldn't stop the girl from randomly showing up.

"Already done." Reese gave a thumbs up. "Plumber dude's coming over later."

"Does Arslan know?" I quipped, unable to help myself.

Despite all of my own upbringing, Reese had rubbed off on me a little herself. The girl was frequently rather crude, making weird references and dirty jokes in an attempt to make people laugh. Though I definitely didn't understand even half of it, there were a few that Reese had made sure I was aware of by going into excruciating detail about them while laughing at my reaction.

"Oh?" Reese smirked with gasp. "Look who's got the dirty jokes now."

"That's because you're a bad influence."

"Hey, I'm a great influence." Reese scoffed. "Look at you. Making dirty jokes, dating; nobody at college would call you stuck up if they saw this side of you."

"Well only you get to see this side of me."

"Awww, ain't I blessed." Reese cooed in her best Vacuan accent; which wasn't very good.

Rolling my eyes and shaking my head, I finished my grapefruit and pushed my plate away. "More than you know." I smile.

Standing up, I stretched my back and made my way towards the door, very aware that Reese was following me. Walking down the cold halls of the Schnee mansion with Reese had always made them feel a little warmer.

"I love the new joggers by the way." Reese said randomly, looking down at my legs which were clad in a baby blue jogging bottoms. "Cooling color and a great match for your skin tone. Adel?"

"Rumpole." I clarified.

"Really?" Reese replied in surprise. "Girl's finally branching out."

"Mhm. I saw them yesterday on my way back from the office and thought they would be perfect for the warmer weather."

"Not wrong there." The girl replied, reaching to hook a finger into the waistband and pull on it. "Hmm. Nice and breathable. But then again, this is Rumpole. She lives in a damn desert."

"Leave them alone." I chuckled, slapping the girl's hand away as we arrived at the stairs. "Or you're going to make me fall."

"Fine," Reese said and held up her hands, though a contemplative look came over her face. "But can I have them when we get to your room though? I wanna check the sewing."

"If it will keep you quiet." I reply jokingly.

"Thank you." She smiled.

It only took us a minute to reach my room, and when we did I saw that Reese had already made herself home. Both her skateboard and backpack were haphazardly tossed onto my bed, the latter still spilling out clothes from when she had showered earlier. Walking over while Reese locked the door, I picked up the green and black board and lightly threw it to the girl. Catching it, she gave a small pout and began to stroke it soothingly.

"Watch it." The girl said in a jokingly sullen voice. "You know how delicate _Naiad_ is."

"Well maybe you should get her her own bed then." Weiss scowled and walked towards her chest of drawers. "Get that one all muddy instead of mine."

"Oh? Hear that, Naiad? Auntie Weiss is gunna give you a room in her mansion."

Stifling a laugh, I pulled out some underwear from the drawer. Though I made quick work of removing my clothes to get ready for a shower, the only thing I didn't remove was my shorts. While I was completely comfortable exposing my breasts around Reese, I had never been completely comfortable exposing my lower half. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable or unhappy with it, just that it still felt like a much more personal area to me than any other.

"Here." I said, passing her the jogging bottoms which she eagerly accepted. "What are you looking for anyway?"

"Rumpole does this neat little thing where she purposely skips stitches." Reese said as she turned them inside out. "Saves on fabric but usually makes it worse quality, but the way she does it is magic. Way too expensive for me to buy a pair just to inspect it though."

"You know I would buy you some if you asked, right?"

"Nah, it's cool." Reese shrugged and raised the jogging bottoms to eye level. "I'll fish around for some shoots for a line she has coming up."

"Suit yourself." I smiled as the girl leaned back the rummage around her bag. "I'll only be about twen…"

_RING! RING!_

Cut off by the ringtone, I reach over absentmindedly to pick up my Scroll unsure who would be calling me at seven in the morning. However, the moment I looked at my screen, I felt my body seized up. Much to much confusion, Ilia's name was written across it.

"Reese…" I said slowly and looked at the girl who had retracted her hand from the bag and was holding a magnifying glass to the jogging bottoms. "Why is Ilia's number in my phone?"

"I added it yesterday at lunch." She said and looked up with interest. "Wait… is that her?"

"Yes!" I hissed and held out the phone. "What do I do?"

"Answer it, dummy." The girl replied and dropped the bottoms.

"But what do I say?" I asked, panic quickly starting to rise. As much as I wanted her to call, I'd never given any thought as to what I would say if she did.

"No idea." Reese bounced off the bed and walked over. "You always find something."

"But wha…"

Clearly not listening to me anymore, Reese reached out and pressed the accept button before I could even stop her. A barely audible squeak forced its way out of me as Reese shook her head with a grin.

"Sup girl. Weiss is right here."

"What're you doing?" I whisper frantically, covering the microphone with my hand.

"What you wouldn't." The girl replied, tapping the bottom on the Scroll and pushing it up to my ear before pulling my hand away. "Just relax."

Knowing I couldn't exactly hang up without it sounding rude, and reached over to my table and grabbed a towel to cover my top half. Even though it was only a call, the action made me feel more comfortable; despite the chuckle that came from Reese as she walked backwards to the bed.

"Weiss?" The voice came through the scroll clearly and made me jump a little. "You there?"

"Y-Yes." I replied nervously, throwing a sock at Reese who shivered mockingly. "Sorry. I'm here. Hi."

"Hi." The voice replied with what sounded like a happy tone. "Sorry if this is really early?"

"No… No." I replied quickly, not wanting her to feel she shouldn't have called. "It's fine. I was just about to get ready for work."

"Oh… Work." Ilia said, a noticeable drop in her voice. "Right."

Unsure what to say to that, I scratched my arm awkwardly and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, no." The girl breathed with a small chuckle. "Sorry. I just… Well… I enjoyed myself at the party, and I have a shoot in Atlas so I was kinda wondering if you maybe wanted to get lunch later." She said slowly. "But if you're busy at work then…"

"I can do lunch." I said quickly, throwing another pair of socks at Reese as she held out her arms in offence.

"Are you sure?" Ilia asked, though her tone had definitely perked up. "If you don't have the time then we can do it another day. If you want?"

"I'm the heiress." I chuckled lightly, finding my confidence in the fact that Ilia actually wanted to go out properly. "I can do lunch whenever I want."

"Humble brag." The faunus laughed, immediately putting a smile on my face. "I like it. So d'ya want to meet me at Frostpath Park at twelve?"

"Frostpath Park at twelve. It's a… That sounds great."

"Great. It's a date."

Though I knew it was one, the girl's admission of it being one caused the heat to rise to my cheeks. Another sock was thrown at Reese as she mimed kissy faces, but I was still smiling nonetheless.

"I look forward to it.

"Me too." Ilia replied. "But I should let you go. I have to get ready for class too."

"Okay." I nodded, but quickly stopped knowing Ilia couldn't see me. "I should get ready too."

"Alright then." I said. "Have fun in class."

"Have fun at work. Later."

"Later."

The call hung up and my arm dropped as a loud sigh left my body. Despite being used to meetings and interviews, none of them scared me as much as a simple talk with a girl I liked. So, looking towards my best friend for support, I wasn't surprised at all to see a massive grin on her face as she suppressed laughter.

"Why did you make me date?" I scowled, causing the girl's restraint to break and loud laughter to fill the room. "It's not funny." I pouted, throwing the towel at her as socks clearly weren't working.

"It's totally funny." Reese laughed and threw it back at me. "Look at it from my perspective. You, my best friend and super smart business woman, getting all stuttery because a cute girl asked you out. It's pretty funny."

"Yeah… well…" I pulled the towel around my shoulders. "Shut up. I'm going to take a shower."

"Maybe if I was a cute girl you'd take a lunch break for me too."

Reese simply continued to laugh as I shook my head and made my way towards the adjoined bathroom. Before I closed the door, I heard more kissing sounds coming from the girl and turned to throw her a dirty look. Finally though, I shut the door, silencing the smooching.

Finally alone, I let myself lean back against the door. The past few days, the fact that Ilia might not want to contact me had admittedly been a thing in the back of my mind. How could it not? It was my first real date after all. However, having finally received a call, after setting up another date, there was something new in the back of my head.

No longer was I waiting for her to call, or for Reese to give her my number; now I was waiting to meet her. And I wouldn't have to wait long since twelve was only a few hours away. So, with the exciting prospect of a date with a girl I liked talking to in my mind, I happily walked forward and turned on the shower to get ready for my day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Just some Reese/Weiss fun this chapter :) With a little Whitley thrown into the mix. I hope you enjoyed it.


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